Dr Julie Doughty
Senior Lecturer in Law
- doughtyj@cardiff.ac.uk
- +44(0)29 2087 4342
- 3.48, Law Building, Museum Avenue, Cardiff, CF10 3AX
- Media commentator
- Available for postgraduate supervision
Overview
Julie Doughty graduated in law at the University of Bristol, and subsequently qualified as a solicitor, working in private practice for more than ten years. She has also worked for Shelter, co-ordinating an advocacy project. In 1993 she joined local government as the manager of the South-east Wales Guardian ad litem Panel, and transferred to CAFCASS (Children & Family Court Advisory & Support Service) as a team manager in 2001. She joined the Law School in 2003 as a research assistant with a project disseminating Joseph Rowntree Foundation research on the effects of divorce, separation and family change.
She then worked as a researcher on a number of empirical research studies on care proceedings; expert witnesses; and children's views on media access to courts. Her PhD topic was the functions of family courts.
She was a member of the BAAF (British Association for Adoption & Fostering) Cymru Legal Group and represented Wales on the BAAF Legal Group Advisory Committee until its closure in July 2015. She is now a member of the AFA Cymru Legal Group.. She edited a practitioners' journal, Seen and Heard (ISSN 1744-1072) from 2008 to 2015. She is a member of the Nuffield Family Justice Observatory Stakeholder Council. Trustee with The Transparency Project and with Family Mediation Cymru.
Julie is co-director of the Law School's Centre for Health and Social Care Law - @CHSCLaw; an associate with CASCADE; a member of Cardiff University's Adoption Research Group; and (with colleagues at the Universities of Bristol, Bath and Exeter) the Network on Family, Regulation and Society. In March 2017, Julie published a report on her research on published family court judgments, funded by the Nuffield Foundation. Recent research projects include the Wales Adoption Study, led by Dr Katherine Shelton (School of Psychology) and a scoping study on family support services in Wales. Current research includes adoption and human rights; and children's rights in parental disputes.
In 2015, Julie established the Children's Social Care Law in Wales website for social workers, foster carers and advisers in Wales. She is a consultant editor, on the law in Wales, for the encylopaedia on Children Law and Practice (Hershman and McFarlane).
Julie currently teaches on the LLB Media Law module and is programme convenor for the LLM in Social Care Law, on which she teaches The Child & the State: Law and Policy.
Biography
Senior Lecturer in Law.
Previously, lecturer in law; research assistant; graduate teaching assistant.
Before working at Cardiff University, I held positions in Cafcass and local authority children's services, and have also worked as a solicitor in private practice.
Publications
2023
- Doughty, J. 2023. Adoption without parental consent. In: Lowe, N. and Fenton-Glynn, C. eds. Research Handbook on Adoption Law. Research Handbooks in Family Law Cheltenham: Edward Elgar, pp. 80-98.
- Doughty, J. 2023. Hay v Cresswell: a brake on lawfare against women?. Communications Law 28(3), pp. 126-131.
2022
- Doughty, J. 2022. Remote hearings in the Family Courts. Presented at: The future of remote hearings post-Covid, Aberystwyth, UK, 21 July 2022Report: Remote Hearings Post Covid. Aberystwyth: Aberystwyth University pp. 22-27.
- Doughty, J. and Rathus, Z. 2022. The international expansion of the parental alienation belief system through the UK and Australian experiences. In: Mercer, J. and Drew, M. eds. Challenging Parental Alienation: New Directions for Professionals and Parents. Abingdon, UK: Routledge, pp. 40-62.
- Doughty, J. 2022. Adoption and special guardianship. In: Lamont, R. ed. Family Law. 2nd Edition. Oxford University Press, pp. 475-510.
2021
- Doughty, J. and Drew, M. 2021. History of the parental alienation belief system. In: Mercer, J. and Drew, M. eds. Challenging Parental Alienation: New Directions for Professionals and Parents. Abingdon, UK: Routledge, pp. 21-39.
- Doughty, J. 2021. Kay Biesel, Judith Masson, Nigel Parton and Tarja Poso (eds.), Errors and Mistakes in Child Protection: International Discourses, Approaches and Strategies [Book Review]. International Journal of Children's Rights 29(2), pp. 521-526. (10.1163/15718182-29020004)
2020
- Doughty, J. 2020. Remote justice - family court hearings during the pandemic. Journal of Social Welfare and Family Law 42(3), pp. 377-380. (10.1080/09649069.2020.1796221)
- Doughty, J., Maxwell, N. and Slater, T. 2020. Professional responses to 'parental alienation': research-informed practice. Journal of Social Welfare and Family Law 42(1), pp. 68-79. (10.1080/09649069.2020.1701938)
- Maxwell, N., Doughty, J., Slater, T., Forrester, D. and Rhodes, K. 2020. Home education for children with additional learning needs – a better choice or the only option?. Educational Review 72(4), pp. 427-442. (10.1080/00131911.2018.1532955)
2019
- Mahmood, S. and Doughty, J. 2019. Child care and protection: law and practice 6th ed. London: Wildy Simmonds & Hill.
- Doughty, J., Meakings, S. and Shelton, K. 2019. Rights and relationships of children who are adopted from care. International Journal of Law, Policy and the Family 33(1), pp. 1-23. (10.1093/lawfam/eby016)
2018
- Doughty, J., Maxwell, N. and Slater, T. 2018. Parental alienation: in search of evidence. Family Law 48, pp. 1304-1307.
- Doughty, J. 2018. Empirical research on adoption. In: Douglas, G., Murch, M. and Stephens, V. eds. International and National Perspectives on Child and Family Law: : Essays in Honour of Nigel Lowe. Intersentia
- Doughty, J., Reed, L. and Magrath, P. 2018. Transparency in the family courts: publicity and privacy in practice. Bloomsbury Professional.
- Doughty, J., Maxwell, N. and Slater, T. 2018. Review of research and case law on parental alienation. Project Report. [Online]. Cardiff: Welsh Government. Available at: https://beta.gov.wales/sites/default/files/publications/2018-05/review-of-research-and-case-law-on-parental-alienation.pdf
- Doughty, J. 2018. Adoption. In: Lamont, R. ed. Family Law. Oxford University Press, pp. 475-507.
- Meakings, S., Ottaway, H., Coffey, A., Palmer, C., Doughty, J. and Shelton, K. 2018. The support needs and experiences of newly formed adoptive families: findings from the Wales Adoption Study. Adoption and Fostering 42(1), pp. 58-75. (10.1177/0308575917750824)
2017
- Doughty, J. 2017. F v F Commentary. In: Stalford, H., Hollingsworth, K. and Gilmore, S. eds. Rewriting Children's Rights Judgments:From Academic Vision to New Practice. Oxford: Hart, pp. 229-236.
- Doughty, J., Meakings, S. and Shelton, K. 2017. The legal and administrative processes in adoption: views and experiences of newly formed adoptive families. Journal of Social Welfare and Family Law 39(4), pp. 473-490. (10.1080/09649069.2017.1390284)
- Forrester, D., Maxwell, N., Slater, T. and Doughty, J. 2017. An evidence based review of the risks to children and young people who are educated at home. National Independent Safeguarding Board. Available at: http://safeguardingboard.wales/2017/11/23/home-education-children-report-2/
- Series, L., Fennell, P. and Doughty, J. 2017. Welfare cases in the Court of Protection: A statistical overview. Project Report. Cardiff: Cardiff University, School of Law and Politics.
- Doughty, J. 2017. ‘It went into a bit of an abyss': why adopters need a guide to the law. Family Law 47(4), pp. 420-424.
- Series, L., Fennell, P. and Doughty, J. 2017. The participation of P in welfare cases in the court of protection. Project Report. Cardiff: Cardiff University.
- Doughty, J., Twaite, A. and Magrath, P. 2017. Transparency through publication of family court judgments: An evaluation of the responses to, and effects of, judicial guidance on publishing family court judgments involving children and young people. Cardiff University.
2016
- Doughty, J. 2016. The best interests of children and the mutual trust principle that goes both ways. Journal of Social Welfare and Family Law 38(3), pp. 333-336. (10.1080/09649069.2016.1233616)
- Anthony, R., Meakings, S., Doughty, J., Ottaway, H., Holland, S. and Shelton, K. H. 2016. Factors affecting adoption in Wales: Predictors of variation in time between entry to care and adoptive placement. Children and Youth Services Review 60, pp. 184-190. (10.1016/j.childyouth.2016.06.010)
- Doughty, J. 2016. New children law in Wales. Family Law 46(5), pp. 546-547.
- Doughty, J. 2016. More judicial guidance for local authorities in care proceedings. Journal of Social Welfare and Family Law 38(2), pp. 202-204. (10.1080/09649069.2016.1156885)
- Doughty, J. and Magrath, P. 2016. Opening up the courts: the Court of Protection transparency pilot. Communications Law 21(2), pp. 37-45.
2015
- Doughty, J. 2015. Myths and misunderstanding in adoption law and policy. Child and Family Law Quarterly 27(4), pp. 331-353.
- Doughty, J. 2015. 'Where nothing else will do': judicial approaches to adoption in England and Wales. Adoption & Fostering 39(2), pp. 105-118. (10.1177/0308575915586298)
- Series, L., Mercer, A., Mobbs, K., Walbridge, A., Fennell, P. and Doughty, J. 2015. Local authorities and the Court of Protection's welfare jurisdiction in 2013–14. Elder Law 5(1), pp. 114.
- Series, L., Mercer, A., Mobbs, K., Walbridge, A., Fennell, P., Clements, L. and Doughty, J. 2015. Use of the Court of Protection's welfare jurisdiction by supervisory bodies in England and Wales. Cardiff: Cardiff Law School. Available at: http://sites.cardiff.ac.uk/wccop/research-report-on-local-authorities-use-of-the-court-of-protection/
- Doughty, J. 2015. The new National Adoption Service for Wales: opportunities and challenges. Family Law 44(10), pp. 1457-1461.
- Clements, L., Series, L., Fennell, P. and Doughty, J. 2015. Transparency in the Court of Protection: report on a Roundtable. Project Report. [Online]. Cardiff: Cardiff University. Available at: http://sites.cardiff.ac.uk/wccop/files/2015/04/Transparency-in-the-Court-of-Protection-Report.pdf
2014
- Doughty, J. 2014. Care proceedings - is there a better way?. Child and Family Law Quarterly 26(2), pp. 113-131.
2013
- Doughty, J. 2013. Re B (A Child) [2013] UKSC 33. Journal of Social Welfare and Family Law 35(4), pp. 491-501. (10.1080/09649069.2013.851313)
- Doughty, J. 2013. Confidentiality and the Family Courts: Ethical dilemmas for health and social work practice. In: Priaulx, N. M. and Wrigley, A. eds. Ethics, Law and Society. Ethics, Law and Society Vol. 5. Farnham: Ashgate, pp. 313-328.
2012
- Mitchels, B., Doughty, J., James, H. and Mahmood, S. 2012. Child care and protection: Law and practice (5th ed.). Wildy Practice Guides. London: Wildy, Simmonds and Hill Publishing.
- Doughty, J. and Murch, M. 2012. Judicial independence and the restructuring of family courts and their support services. Child and Family Law Quarterly 24(3), pp. 333-354.
2011
- Tucker, J., Moorhead, R. L. and Doughty, J. 2011. Evaluation of the 'Alternative Commissioning of Experts Pilot' Pilot’. Project Report. [Online]. Cardiff: Cardiff University. Available at: http://www.legalservices.gov.uk/docs/stat_and_guidance/ACE_Pilot_Evaluation_Final_Report_June_2011.pdf
- Doughty, J. 2011. The functions of family courts. PhD Thesis, Cardiff University.
2010
- Doughty, J. 2010. Opening up the family courts - what happened to children's rights?. Contemporary Issues in Law 10(1), pp. 50-75.
- Doughty, J. 2010. Amendments to the legislation: 1989-2009. Journal of Children's Services 5(2), pp. 7-16. (10.5042/jcs.2010.0297)
2009
- Doughty, J. 2009. Identity crisis in the family courts? Different approaches in England and Wales and Australia. Journal of Social Welfare and Family Law 31(3), pp. 231-243.
2008
- Doughty, J. 2008. From court missionaries to conflict resolution: a century of family court welfare. Child and Family Law Quarterly 20(2), pp. 131-154.
- Doughty, J. 2008. The "No Order Principle" - a myth revived?. Family Law 38, pp. 561-564.
- Doughty, J. 2008. Children and Adoption Act 2006: Enforcement of contact by resident parents and children. Family Law 38, pp. 1241-1242.
2006
- Doughty, J. 2006. Opening up the family courts: an end to secrecy or to privacy?. Seen and Heard 16(3), pp. 34-39.
- Doughty, J. 2006. Enforcement of contact: implications of the Children & Adoption Bill. Association of Lawyers for Children Newsletter(36), pp. 14-14.
- Doughty, J. 2006. CAFCASS moves to private law. Family Law 36(1), pp. 36-39.
- Doughty, J. 2006. Local family justice councils in Wales: interdisciplinary working for children and families in court proceedings. Wales Journal of Law and Policy 4(3), pp. 351-361.
2004
- Douglas, G., Messinger Davies, M. and Doughty, J. 2004. Research on divorce, separation and family change: messages for practitioners. Pastoral Care in Education 22(4), pp. 3-5. (10.1111/j.0264-3944.2004.00306.x)
- Moorhead, R., Douglas, G., Doughty, J. and Sefton, M. 2004. The advice needs of lone parents. Family Law 34(Sep), pp. 667-673.
2000
- Doughty, J. 2000. The role of the guardian ad litem in care planning. Seen and Heard 10(1), pp. 32-40.
Teaching
Module leader in Media Law.
Module leader in The Child and the State: Law and Policy
Programme convenor: LLM in Social Care Law
Care Council for Wales: Developing a teaching and learning resource in child law for social workers.
Nuffield Foundation: An evaluation of published family court judgments.
Personal welfare disputes in the Court of Protection -with Professor Phil Fennell, Professor Luke Clements and Dr Lucy Series. Funded by the Nuffield Foundation.
Wales Adoption Cohort Study - Funded by NISCHR (Welsh Government)
An evaluation of published family court judgments - Funded by the Nuffield Foundation.
Research review on parental alienation. Cafcass Cymru.
Scoping study on family support services in Wales. Welsh Government.
Supervision
- Children's rights
- Adoption
- Care proceedings
- Children in state care
- Transparency and open justice in family law
